Dogs, Deer and Diet at Star Carr: a Reconsideration of C-isotope Evidence from Early Mesolithic Dog Remains from the Vale of Pickering, Yorkshire, England

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science 1996-09, Vol.23 (5), p.783-787
• Main Author: Day, S.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CARBON ISOTOPES; DOG; Epipalaeolithic and mesolithic; Europe; MESOLITHIC; North West Europe; Palaeolithic and mesolithic; Prehistory and protohistory; SEAMER CARR; STAR CARR
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1006/jasc.1996.0072

C-isotope ratios of dog remains from the early Mesolithic site at Seamer Carr, Yorkshire, have previously been argued to indicate a marine diet for these animals and, by extension, the human users of both this and the adjacent site of Star Carr. This evidence is reconsidered in the light of recent C-isotope analyses on terrestrial and aquatic plant remains from Star Carr. These analyses indicate that plants growing in the carbonate-rich waters of the lake at Star Carr had much less negative C-isotope ratios than terrestrial plants. These would, in turn, be passed on to herbivores, such as molluscs, waterfowl and fish, feeding on these plants. If these sources provided a significant element of the diet of the dogs at the site, they would result in bone collagen C-isotope ratios similar to those which could be produced by a marine diet. C-isotope ratios cannot, therefore, be used to argue for a coastal base for the people of Star Carr and Seamer Carr, and it is suggested that these sites may have been occupied over prolonged periods rather than representing temporary hunting camps.